When it comes to adopting a Cat or Dog, people usually start their search by looking through dozens of photos before clicking and reading about the animal. For this reason, rescues really need great photos of each adoptable pet so they make a great first impression and get noticed. A great photo can literally be a lifesaver for shelter animals. It can be the difference between them spending weeks upon weeks in the shelter and them spending near to no time in the shelter. Use these following tips to help get your animals in a need of a home, their perfect family, faster.
1. Bring Toys
A great way to get a cat or dogs attention is through toys! Whether squeaking them, throwing them, or raising them up in the air, they can help you get your animals to look where you want as well as to look engaged! Using toys can also help get great and interesting "actions shots" that will be sure to attract the attention of a potential adopter.
2.Find their light
We've all struggled to find the perfect lighting for our perfect selfie and it is no different for animals! Using natural light, day time sun, typically captures the clearest and best photos. Along with this, you can also change the settings on your camera or phone. Even the most basic digital cameras and phone cameras allow you to change the brightness and contrast when taking photos. This can be particularly helpful when photographing black cats and dogs. Photos with natural light look best when the subject is facing the sunlight.
3.Turn off that blinding flash!
Using a flash can scare an animal as well as make their eyes look less inviting and wash out the animals features. Instead of using a flash, try to take photos in natural light (see above) or buy a detached flash with a diffuser to soften the light (available on amazon in prices ranging from $30-$800). There are also great youtube videos on how to diffuse light in photos.
4. Bring the fun
Bringing props to a photo shoot is always a good idea. Adding a throw blanket, pillow, or bow tie can add a bit of fun to the photo and create a warm environment that acts a great backdrop for the photos.
5. Remove distractions
The most important thing about these photos are the animals themselves and you want the focus to be on them. To do this, make sure to follow these tips as well as remove miscellaneous items from the background. A cage, trashcan, chair leg can be distracting and take away from the cuteness of the animal! Try using a solid background for the photo so the animal can really shine such as a grassy area, solid wall, or a wood floor.
7. Bribes work wonders
Make sure to bring treats with you to entice your subject. This can allow you to get the animals, especially dogs, to hold still and look in the direction you're hoping for.
8. Fill the Frame
Make sure to focus on the animal in the photo by having them fill the frame. You can take photos of them from above or get down on their level to get a fantastic photo, just make sure they fill the photo so people are looking at them and not misc. items.
9. Get a variety of shots
When people are deciding to adopt a pet, they want to get to know them. A good way to do this is by getting photos of them in various situations - them playing, sitting, sleeping, and cuddling. Try to get multiple facets of their personality so people can get a better understanding of what their like. Having a photo or two with a human in the photo can be a great idea as well so viewers can get a sense of size as well as understand that their hooman friendly.
10. Edit before posting
A simple cropping of the photo can make it look so much better. Before posting the photo online, make sure its clear, focused on the animal, and to crop out any unsightly parts. There are many apps you can use for editing photos but the easiest way is to edit right in Instagram and post that photo to both Facebook and Instagram. Instead of using premade filters in Instagram, edit the individuals levels themselves. You can do this by choosing the photo, next, and next to the word filter is "Edit". Here you can increase brightness as needed, adjust contrast, heighten the saturation and maybe add a light (25ish) vignette. Do all of this lightly and the best editing tool is to just take a photo in natural light with a solid background so you won't have to adjust after production!
Pet Rescue Resources has pre-made posts for social media to spice up your feed! You can find those here.
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